Hi everyone,

I was doing another video for the school YouTube channel today; another poetry challenge. The form today was Naani. This is a South Indian form of poetry that dates back to the 11th Century. It’s very simple; 4 lines, 20-25 syllables. There are no other rules. The word means ‘one and all’ which I took to mean that you are supposed to squeeze all your thoughts on something into that small poem.

Here are a couple I came up with. The first one is about the cinema –

The lights go down,

Deep, red curtains glide noiselessly aside,

From real life,

You are delivered.

The second is about an icy cold drink in the garden on a hot day –

Beads of condensation,

Trickle down the glass.

Catch them with your fingertip,

Before they reach the grass.

It’s quite a liberating structure – short like a haiku but with a bit more flexibility that allows you to bend your ideas into a nice shape.

Thanks for reading,

Richard

You can check out more of my poetry by following the links below…

How I Wish – Another Virus Villanelle

Until the Day – A Virus Villanelle

A Projection of a Man – a poem